I just finished reading a book, Paradise Park by Allegra Goodman. Paradise Park is this crazy novel about a young woman, Sharon, who gets stranded by a self-centered, overly serious boyfriend in Hawaii. Virtually penniless, with no one to come to her aid, Sharon continues her quest to find love, community and meaning. At first I thought this novel was insane. How could so much happen to this woman? How could she be so scattered? As the story progressed I thought for sure the author was indeed trying to drive me mad, since the plot didn’t seem to advance and the main character seemed quagmired in blame and victimhood. I like my books the way I prefer my life: neatly packaged and with a point. I felt like screaming, “Connect the dots! For the love of God, connect some dots for me!”
Still in the end, I find that I loved this book. Goodman took me on an amazing, albeit downright bizarre, journey. Through Goodman, Sharon seeks out an identity that she can embrace, but ultimately creates her own, both rich and deeply satisfying. And even though I feel very little relationship with Sharon as a character or personality, I connect with her in the conclusion as someone who has lived largely by her own rules, who has lived a life, balancing regret and acceptance.
This book is certainly worth the read if you are willing to have your mind blown in a less than traditional odyssey.
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